George J. Hyde | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 4, 1888 |
| Died | December 2, 1963 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | German-American |
| Occupation(s) | Machinist, gunsmith and gun designer |
| Known for | Designing the M3 grease gun, designing the FP-45 Liberator pistol |
George J. Hyde Sr. (born Heide; January 4, 1888 – December 2, 1963) was a German-born American machinist, gunsmith and gun designer best known for his submachine guns. He was born in Apfingen, Germany. Already a skilled machinist, he immigrated to the United States in 1927. His family followed the next year.
Before 1935 George J. Hyde was a machinist and shop foreman at Griffin & Howe.[1] He quit Griffin & Howe and went on to become the co-owner of Leonard & Hyde in New York. He partnered with Samuel A. "Harry" Leonard, an expert shotgun and rifle stock maker, who had trained at James Purdey & Sons of London. Hyde also did contract gunsmithing work for Roberts and Kimball in Woburn, Massachusetts. (The latter was an early semi-custom maker of rifles chambered in .257 Roberts.)